TROOPER
TROOPER THOMPSON HELPED HIM PUSH THE PLANE INTO A NEARBY
PARKING LOT, SO THE TRAFFIC
COULD GET MOVING AGAIN.
>>> IT DOESN'T TAKE A PHD IN
RESEARCH TO GO LOOK OUTSIDE AND
SEE THAT WE HAVE AN ISSUE.
TO SEE THAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE
SLEEPING ON OUR STREETS ARE
DISABLED.
DISABLED.
DISABLED. >> WHETHER YOU NEED A PHD OR
NOT, THE NUMBERS TO BACK IT UP
A NEW ACCOUNT OF THE HOMELESS,
SHOWS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS,
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SLEEPING
ON OUR STREETS HAS JUMPED BY
MORE THAN 20%.
>> IN FACT THAT RATE IS THE
HIGHEST IT HAS BEEN AT THIS
POINT THAN ANY OTHER POINT IN
THE LAST DECADE.
THAT IS THE DISCOURAGING NEWS.
HERE'S THE ENCOURAGING PART.
WHEN YOU ADD IN THE SHELTERS
AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, THE
OVERALL HOMELESS POPULATION IS
SLIGHTLY DOWN.
SLIGHTLY DOWN. >> WE ARE OUT HERE ON THE
SQUARE THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE
CHRIS THIS IS A PLACE WHERE WE
SEE EVIDENCE OF HOMELESSNESS
PROBLEMS, EVERY SINGLE DAY.
AND TODAY, TWO SEPARATE NEWS
CONFERENCES WERE HELD BY THE
CITY, THE COUNTY, OFFICIALS
HAVING A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS.
>> LET'S GET STARTED WITH
MAGGIE, AND SHE BREAKS DOWN THE
NUMBERS FOR US.
>> Reporter: MORE PEOPLE ARE
LIVING ON THE STREETS THAN AT
ANY OTHER POINT IN THE LAST
DECADE.
DECADE.
DECADE. THAT IS ACCORDING TO THE 2019
TIME COUNT WHICH TALLIED UP
2037 ON SHELTERED PEOPLE. THAT
IS UP 22% FROM THE LAST COUNT,
IN 2017.
IN 2017.
IN 2017. BEFORE WE GET INTO WHAT MAY BE
BEHIND THAT BIKE, LET'S BACK UP
FOR A SECOND BECAUSE AT THIS
POINT YOU MIGHT BE ASKING WHAT
IS A POINT IN TIME COUNT.
VERY VALID QUESTION.
ESSENTIALLY IT IS A HEADCOUNT
OF AN AREA'S HOMELESS
POPULATION.
POPULATION. THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING
AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT MANDATES
COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
PROVIDE THESE NUMBERS EACH
YEAR, IN ORDER TO GET FEDERAL
HOUSING DOLLARS.
HOUSING DOLLARS. THOUGH A NOTE HERE SOME
COMMUNITIES ONLY DO THE COUNT
EVERY OTHER YEAR, AND IN OFF
YEARS THEY SENT SLIGHTLY OLDER
DATA.
DATA.
DATA. THAT IS THE CASE HERE IN
MULTNOMAH COUNTY.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY. THAT IS WHY YOU WILL SEE
EVERYTHING HERE COMPARED TO
NUMBERS FROM 2017.
>> IT IS COLD OUT HERE!
>> Reporter: YOUR IS HOW IT
WORKS.
WORKS.
WORKS. COMMUNITIES PICKING NIGHT
WITHIN THE LAST 10 DAYS OF
JANUARY, AND ON THAT NIGHT
TRAINED VOLUNTEERS SPREAD OUT
AND THEY LITERALLY COUNT
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. LIVING ON THE STREETS AND
SHELTERS AND IN TRANSITIONAL
HOUSING.
HOUSING.
HOUSING. THEY ALSO TRY TO ACCOUNT FOR
PEOPLE STAYING WITH FRIENDS OR
FAMILY, AND THEY ASKED
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE PEOPLE
ARE FROM, HOW LONG THEY HAVE
BEEN HOUSE LIST, AND MORE.
IT TYPICALLY TAKES MONTHS TO
GET THESE NUMBERS TALLIED UP
AND BEEN PRESENTED TO THE
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC.
PUBLIC. NOW THAT IS WHAT MULTNOMAH
COUNTY IS DOING.
WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE IT IS.
RIGHT NOW, ACCORDING TO THE 2019
POINT IN TIME COUNT, MULTNOMAH
COUNTY HAS 4015 HOMELESS PEOPLE.
THAT INCLUDES 2037 WHO ARE
LITERALLY ON SHELTERED.
A.K.A., THE PEOPLE WE ALL SEES
WEEPING ON THE STREETS.
AND CARS, AND IN TENTS IN
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND. IT IS THAT SECOND NUMBER THAT
REALLY STANDS OUT WHEN YOU LOOK
AT PAST COUNTS.
IN 2017, 1600 68 PEOPLE WERE ON
SHELTERED THIS YEARS ON
SHELTERED TOTAL JUMPS 22%.
IT IS ACTUALLY THE HIGHEST IT
HAS EVER BEEN SINCE MULTNOMAH
COUNTY HAS BEEN DOING THIS
COUNT, WITH THE CURRENT
STANDARDS.
STANDARDS. THEY ALSO SAY THERE ARE A FEW
REASONS THIS YEARS COUNT IS
HIGHER.
HIGHER.
HIGHER. A
HIGHER. A LOT OF IT THEY SAY IS DRIVEN
BY THE STRUGGLE TO REACH THE
CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, PEOPLE
WHO HAVE BEEN ON THE STREETS
FOR MORE THAN A YEAR AND HAVE
ISSUES WITH THINGS LIKE MENTAL
ILLNESS, OR ADDICTION.
>> NOW ON THE FLIPSIDE,
OFFICIALS SAY THIS SPIKE COULD
ALSO AT LEAST PARTIALLY BE
ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT
THEY BELIEVE THIS COUNT WAS
THERE MOST EXTENSIVE YET.
THEY SAID IT WAS LED BY PSU AND
THEY HAD A RECORD AMOUNT OF
PROFESSIONAL OUTREACH WORKERS
AND VOLUNTEERS.
AND VOLUNTEERS. THEY ALSO SAY THEY WORKED WITH
CULTURALLY SPECIFIC GROUPS LIKE
THE URBAN LEAGUE, AND NAYA TO
HELP THEM REACH COMMITTEES OF
COLOR AND NATIVE AMERICAN.
OFFICIALS ALSO POINT TO A
DECREASE IN THE OVERALL
HOMELESS COUNT.
HOMELESS COUNT. 4015 THIS YEAR, DOWN FROM 4177
IN 2017.
IN 2017.
IN 2017. THAT IS NEARLY A 4% DROP.
>> INKS FOR JOINING US LIVE ON
THE BRICKSTONE, LOOKING FORWARD
TO SEE THE -- NOT LOOKING
FORWARD TO SEE THE HOMELESS
PROBLEM -- HOMELESSNESS IS
DOWN.
DOWN.
DOWN. >>
DOWN. >> WE WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT
BECAUSE OFFICIALS WANTED TO
POINT THAT QUITE A BIT.
THAT NUMBER HAS STAYED AROUND
4000 FOR THE LAST DECADE, WE
HAVE RECORDS ONLINE AND THEY
SAY THAT ESPECIALLY RECENTLY AS
A RESULT OF PROGRAMS THEY HAVE
IN PLACE TO HELP HOMELESS
FAMILIES, HOMELESS VETERANS AND
SAY THIS NUMBER, THE FACT IT IS
DROPPING SLIGHTLY IF NOT EVEN
JUST STAYING STAGNANT BUT
DROPPING IS PROOF THAT THOSE
ARE WORKING TO EXTRACT THOSE
PROGRAMS, SO MANY OF THEM
APPEAR TO BE WORKING OVERALL
AND THEN AGAIN THE OTHER
NUMBER, 22% UP WITH PEOPLE
LIVING ON THE STREET AND THE
HOMELESS PROBLEM OF PEOPLE HERE
ON THE STREETS, THAT IS A HUGE
NUMBER, HARD TO IGNORE.
>> THE NUMBER AND THE OPTICS.
IT IS WHAT YOU SEE AROUND
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN. OFFICIALS SAID THEY HEAR FROM
PEOPLE ANECDOTALLY AND IT SEEMS
LIKE OUR CRISIS IS GETTING
WORSE.
WORSE.
WORSE. THEY SAID OKAY, HERE WE GO.
THIS POINT IN TIME COUNT PROVES
WHAT PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE
SEEING.
SEEING.
SEEING. THOSE ARE THE CHRONICALLY
HOMELESS, THE DISABLED AND THE
ELDERLY.
ELDERLY.
ELDERLY. THE ONES WHO ARE ONCE THEY ARE
HOMELESS IT IS HARDER TO GET
THEM OFF THE STREETS.
YOUR IS WHAT COUNTY CHAIR, HAD
TO SAY ABOUT THE POPULATION
TODAY.
TODAY.
TODAY. >>
TODAY. >> THE FOLKS WE ARE SEEING
OUTSIDE ARE HARDER TO SERVE
THAN THE OTHER POPULATIONS THAT
WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH
HOUSING.
HOUSING.
HOUSING. THE AVERAGE DISABILITY CHECK
FOR AN INDIVIDUAL WHO IS
DISABLED IS ABOUT $771 A MONTH.
THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO AFFORD AN
APARTMENT.
APARTMENT. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO AFFORD TO
BE ABLE TO LIVE IN OUR
COMMUNITY.
COMMUNITY. >> IS A PRESS CONFERENCE NUMBER
TWO TODAY.
TWO TODAY. WE HEARD THE PHRASE UPHILL
BATTLE MULTIPLE TIMES, MEANING
OFFICIALS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE
JUST FIGHTING TO KEEP PEOPLE
AFLOAT AS PORTLAND ESSENTIALLY
GETS MORE CROWDED AND MORE
EXPENSIVE LIKE A LOT OF WEST
COAST CITIES AND WE HAVE AN
AGING BABY BOOMER POPULATION
THE ELDERLY AS WELL WHOSE
STATISTICS SHOW WE KNOW NOW
THAN IT REALLY GO THROUGH
RETIREMENT.
RETIREMENT. THIS JUST KEEPS BUILDING.
>> YET WE ARE SPENDING AND
CONTINUE TO SPEND TENS OF
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO EXTRACT
RECORD-SETTING NUMBERS.
RECORD-SETTING NUMBERS. MAYOR WHEELER AT THAT SAME
SECOND PRESS CONFERENCE
ADDRESSED THAT PART OF THE
STORY AS WELL.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> THE COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT
BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY
IS CLOSE TO 70 $70 MILLION PLUS
WE HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT
INVESTMENTS AND OTHER
INTERVENTIONS, THE STREET
RESPONSE, THE PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THE
FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE IN THIS
COMMUNITY, TO CONNECT TO PEOPLE
WITH SERVICES.
WITH SERVICES. >> THEY BASICALLY MADE THE CASE
MULTIPLE TIMES TODAY OFFICIALS
WITH THE CITY WITH THE COUNTY,
MAYOR WHEELER WHO YOU HEARD
WITHOUT THE SERVICES THEY HAVE
IN PLACE TO GET PEOPLE INTO
HOUSING OR KEEP THEM IN THEIR
HOMES IF THEY ARE ON THE BRINK
OF HOMELESSNESS.
OF HOMELESSNESS. THEY SAY WITHOUT THOSE